BenQ W5000 vs. Sony VPL-VW40

The decision to share the Best In Class, Runner-Up Award, between these two projectors, was probably the toughest awards decision to make. Each projector, at its very best, is truly impressive. Each has some shortcomings, but different ones.

The Basics: What is similar about these two home theater projectors - features?

The first, obvious thing, is that both are rather large projectors. They both also have vertical lens shift, although the Sony has a little more vertical range than the BenQ. The Sony has only very slight horizontal lens shift, while the BenQ has none at all.

Both have very good remote controls, but not the best around. (I favor the BenQ remote).

Neither projector supports Deep Color. The W5000 only has HDMI 1.2.1 which cannot support Deep Color, but even though the VPL-VW40 is HDMI 1.3, so it could support it, Sony, apparently chose not to.

Anamorphic Lens Support

BenQ does support an anamorphic lens add on, while the Sony does not. As noted with other projectors, you can add the necessary support with an outboard image processor, but they are expensive, and significantly alter the value proposition.

Projector Warranties

Dead tie, here. Both come with a very basic one year parts and labor!

Time to consider the differences:

Projector Sharpness

The BenQ definitely has an advantage in sharpness. Overall, it is one of the sharper projectors. The Sony isn’t very far behind, but score a point for BenQ.